Frankenmuth Fun!

So, this trip started months ago, when Emily's robotics team wanted to participate in the spring competition.   The date has been on the calendar for a while now, but the start time was going to be 715, two hours away, no bus.  = 0 The coordinator did say that we would not have to stay the duration, only until elimination.

I told Emily to prepare her bag for an adventure afterwards!  Maybe a side trip to Canada (the competition was up near the thumb of Michigan) or for a trip to little Bavaria or a state park, the destination depended on when we were dismissed from the competition.

Well, just a precious few days before the competition, the coordinator made the call that the robot would not be ready for Saturday, and cancelled the competition.  Naturally, Emily was saddened, but even worse, our adventure was cancelled. (Who knew the consolation for a 430 wake up would be the sad element?) 

I talked it over with Billy and we decided that since Saturday was now open, we would all go on an adventure!!! Everyone was given $20 to spend, or not spend, as they saw fit.* 

Saturday morning, I woke up at 615, super excited about our impending trip.  The rest of the family was short behind and we were en route before 10am!!!

We pulled into Frankenmuth just after 11, and decided the largest Christmas store in the world should be our first stop.

Photo-op!

Everything was novel and exciting and amazing.  Really, there was something for everyone!  We bought a father's day gift for Billy, as well as a replacement for a previous trip Christmas ornament! = )

Photo-op!

Goofy Photo-op!

Hey, it's Victorian William!  (He's even in green)

Alice bought a pressed penny.

After Bronner's we headed to the shops, starting with the forge shop.  They had a cool doodle station!

Our next stop was the used bookstore across the way.  Grace and I didn't find any of our Wishlist items, but there was a book signing in progress.  Billy inquired as to the genre, and wouldn't you know it was a murder mystery! (my favorite!!!) So, he bought me a signed copy of the local authors!**  I hope to get book two when it comes out!

Next, we perused a game store, tourist shop, and played the arcade.

Then we headed outside to enjoy the beautiful May day!

The crepe shop proved too strong of a temptation, and we went there to get a Nutella crepe, plus some flavored coffee for a few children. The inside was super adorable, and painted like a Parisian alleyway!

Our final stop in the shops was the mirror maze.  Billy stepped in an paid the way for everyone, because the big girls opted out, but since it was unlimited visits during the day of purchase, and he didn't want anyone missing out.  All 5 of them loved it!

Frog searching photo-op!

Peacocks and pigeons!  We also saw a wedding party! What a beautiful location to have a wedding!

Alice channeled her inner Disney princess and fed the bird from her hand! No one else had any success doing so.

Holz-Bruecke!

We were going to follow the river and avoid the traffic, but there were butterfly murals.  I am thrilled with the pictures, and think it was our best detour of the day!

Ever since the fallout party, I've been highly sensitive to the blue/yellow combo (which is also UofM) but it seems to be omnipresent. 

Now that I've actually been to Bavaria (and Baden-Württemberg) I have way more of an appreciation for this being legit German (since previously I'd only been to the former East Germany and Berlin.)  We saw so many international tourist groups!  Japanese and Indian top the list, but there were certainly others.  I am flabbergasted that this 'out of the way' town in Michigan can pull an international audience!!!

During our patio music appreciation, we took turns shopping in the basement shops of the Bavarian Inn.

Alice made it to the Käsegeschäft, and was ready to leave. lol.

We went back for one more round in the shops, where all the children ordered ice cream!

Our final stop was at the mirror maze, to enjoy a few more laps.  Then it was time to say "Auf Wiedershen" to Frankenmuth!

It was such a lovely day, with our whole family able to find something, and as short as these experiences are feeling these days, I loved it.  I can't wait to go back, or find somewhere else to 'love' as a family!

later days

*This was amazing!!!!  I highly recommend this, because every question's answer is "you have money!" And every single one of them came home and 'kept' the change!

**This was not the most amazing murder mystery that I've ever read.  I did not solve it, because it was absolutely the most obvious suspect.  However, for a first attempt, I liked it enough to finish it within 3 school days (!) so I would totally recommend it if you're into mysteries.  And, if you're interested, you can borrow my copy! = )

edit 5-26-24: backdated for continuity.
 

A Mix of Other Days

We went through a very humid period at the start of school.  When Emily took her hair down at the end of the day, she looked like she had a Victorian era hair style!

One Thursday night, we had some hurricane strength winds come through.  They lasted only about 5 minutes, but knocked power out to the entire area, and took down our personal cable (read: internet) lines!

We lost a tree = (,  it looked like a lightening strike.  Billy and I both felt the shake, but it was far too dark outside to see anything until the morning. By some miracle, it barely damaged the chain link fence that we share with our neighbors!  They did come over and use their chainsaw to cut up the pieces for us.

We ended up hiring our laws service to move all of the limbs to the curb in front of our house, since a company was coming through to collect storm debris.

Another exciting moment was finding a bat in the fan!  We have no idea how he got in there, no one saw anything.  One theory is that he came in when we were going in and out after the power went out during the storm?  But none of us saw him for 3 days?  Really, no clue.

The twins used the pile of branches to refill the bird feeder!

On one of our walks, I saw a butterfly hanging out on a tree.  Upon closer inspection, I found that it was just a leaf, that looked quite a bit like a butterfly!

Within two days of the 'fake' monarch, we spotted a tree filled with real ones!  They look like they are stocking up before their yearly migration!

Emily is the third generation to wear Avia's Latin shirt from high school.  She was standing with one foot up, and I knew I had to take a picture to send Avia, since that was also her preferred way to stand, back when she was wearing the shirt new. = )

On September 2nd (we didn't' have time the first) we set up Billy's Halloween village!  It was fun for everyone to see all of his gifts from the past year on display!

One day, I was feeling particularly guilty about throwing out the leftover rice, so I decided to try my hand at rice flour!

The rice dried out much easier than the squash!

The coffee bean grinder, which I bought for just such a purpose, ground up the rice pretty nicely, but it was not flour powdery.   When I searched up manual flour mills, I suffered sticker shock, so it is now on my list to find used. 

In the meantime, I found a recipe that would use bot the rice and leftover coconut milk: Bibingka.

Warm, they were amazing.  Cooled, they were edible, but they are no ones new favorite.

I was able to alter a 4x dress, that I nabbed at a rummage sale, for Alice.  I took of the straps, cut several inches from both sides, and reattached the straps.  She said she got 3 compliments the first day she wore it!  But the only picture I have of her in it, she decided to pout at me.  And since we were at the bus stop, there was no time for a retake. 

Maybe next year, more of these ingredients can come from our garden!

On Labor Day Monday, the internet technician came out to fix out internet.  Between leaving the wires in the flower beds and wrapping the cable around the tree, and not even saying bye, we were unimpressed.  Worst of all: we still had no internet!

After another phone call to the internet provider, we had a new date for Wednesday.  This experience couldn't have been more different. First off, he called before coming, then was shocked at what the contractor had done (he had a WOW truck, where the first tech did not.)  He cleaned up all the wires, restrung the cable.  And best of all, when he left, we had internet! 

The twins were the only ones home, so I had them come out to say thank you!  Juliet was so overcome with happiness; she gave him a hug!  I think he was surpised. lol.

Look at those beautiful, solid, lights!!

Earlier this week, the twins walked to school, and it was just drizzly enough to justify an umbrella.  On my way home, the precipitation picked up and I was super thankful for the umbrella!

I added two more baskets to my collection this past week!  A flower collecting basket, and wine carrying basket!

 I don't have any plans to buy more, but if I find a really special one, I have space for two more! = )

later days